Former Bridgewater-Raynham wrestling coach settles with district

Jeff Francis sued after he was fired for a hazing incident involving wrestlers in 2011.

Benjamin Paulin The Enterprise @benpaulin_ENT

BRIDGEWATER – The lawsuit filed by former wrestling coach Jeff Francis against the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District has been settled out of court, but both sides are mum about the results.

Francis helped coach the B-R wrestling team to 21 league championships over 25 years. He sued the school district in November 2012, claiming he was unfairly fired for a hazing incident involving wrestlers in 2011. He recently took a job as an assistant wrestling coach at Norton High School.

Neysa Sevier of the Taunton Superior Court clerk’s office said a settlement was reached between the sides Feb. 28.

In February 2013, Francis’ lawyer, James McCarthy, said negotiations were under way for the two sides to reach a settlement.

“They’ve agreed that they’re going to pay some money,” McCarthy told The Enterprise in 2013. “We’re going back and forth with it now.”

McCarthy, who practices out of Fall River, said earlier this month the lawsuit is no longer ongoing, but said he could not comment further.

The lawsuit, filed Nov. 13, 2012, had sought financial damages for breach of contract, and for “negligent inflection of emotional distress.” Francis was “heartbroken” over what happened, his attorney had said.

School Committee member Pat Riley of Raynham said at the time that Francis was fired because he did not report the incident in a timely manner. Francis, in a letter his attorney sent to the district, argued that he told Athletic Director Dan Buron of the incident when he learned about it.

The incident on Jan. 9, as described in the lawsuit, involved one wrestler hitting another wrestler with a broom, reportedly because of that wrestler’s poor performance.

“The assault was voluntary, and no one was forced to participate,” it states.

Francis’ suit had sought $1,725 in contract damages for missing part of the season, and an amount to be determined by a judge for emotional distress. Francis’ annual pay with the district was $5,753.

Members of the Bridgewater-Raynham School Committee did not respond to recent attempts to be reached for comment on the settlement. Several attempts to reach Riley, the chairwoman of the committee, were made both by phone and email, and none were returned.

The Enterprise submitted a public records request to Superintendent Jacqueline Forbes on March 12, asking for a copy of the settlement. Forbes deferred questions to the School Committee’s legal counsel, attorney John Davis.

Davis has not returned several calls seeking information about the settlement since March 12.

State law requires that after a request for public records is made, the record holder has 10 days to fulfill the request or give a legal reason why the request could not be handled in that timeframe.

It has been 17 days since the request was made to Forbes for a copy of the settlement.

Public entities are not allowed to enter into private settlements, according to public records experts. The town of West Bridgewater attempted to withhold a settlement it reached with former police officer Raymund Rogers, but the Secretary of State Public Records Division ordered its release.

Francis said he could not talk about the lawsuit but was more than happy to talk about his new role with the Norton High School wrestling team.

Francis helped lead the team this year to a Division III state championship.

“I love coaching and I was down at a Marshfield tournament and (Norton coach) Pat Coleman saw me there and asked me if I wanted to come help him,” Francis said. “I bring a lot of experience in big matches, a lot of enthusiasm.”

For Francis, it’s his first time coaching since he was fired by Bridgewater-Raynham in 2012. He coached at B-R for 25 years and was one of the highest-regarded wrestling coaches in the state.

“It’s just been great over there,” he said of coaching in Norton. “It’s a little bit different feel over there, a small-town feel. The town in Norton, the whole support system between the boosters club and the administration, they’re very supportive and I’m very happy over there.”

Francis had re-applied for his job in the summer of 2012, but said he never received a call back from the district.